Jasmine and The Dagger of Time
by follow the halo
Summary: Jasmine runs away to find a dagger in a mysterious alley.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue/author's note on why this story is NOT canon

Jafar and Jasmine are in love

Aladdin is…somewhere. I can't guarantee you'll find him though. Let me know if you see him.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Aladdin belongs to Disney. I'm just continuing the tradition since Scheharezade's time, to modify stories, to tell a tale.

"Dance for us, Jasmine!"

Applause had faded away, the group of dancers that had finished dancing earlier left a single dancer. Now it was a solo dance, from none other than the princess herself.

Drum beats started off slow, slowly thrumming and increasing in speed. Jasmine turned and whirled vigorously, gyrating her hips, the tassels and coins around her waist jingling as she turned. Her hands, sinuous and graceful, were conveying a thousand different meanings. The only one who would understand, he was gazing at her, entranced.

Jasmine danced and danced, letting out all her frustration. Jafar, he who haunted her dreams and waking moments. Never will they meet, though his compound was in the palace itself, torturing her with how he could see him from afar but could never approach.

_Jasmine, know you how much I love you?_ Jafar could only swallow his jealousy as other men stared at Jasmine as she danced. But he knows, Jasmine only had eyes for him, that this dance was meant for him and him alone.

"I love you Jasmine!"

"Then marry me, do not be a coward!"

"You yourself know, you must choose a prince to marry." He took Jasmine's chin in his hand to gaze into her warm eyes lit by the sunlight piercing through the latticed carved wooden screen. They had agreed to meet at the pavilion in the palace garden, close enough to the princess' room so as not to arouse alarm to her whereabouts.

Jasmine moved away from him, turning her back towards him. "I will speak to father, if you will not."

"Father! Will you not listen to me?" The princess was furious, the sultan, the man she loved, all were submissive to a law some long-dead sultan put into motion just because his daughter was ill-treated by her non-royal husband.

Princess Jasmine went to her room and remained there, not coming down for the sumptuous banquet prepared. Jafar, looking at her empty seat at the far side of the table, already knew the cause of Jasmine's absence. The sultan was downcast, thinking of this rift between him and his beloved daughter.

Unknown to them, princess Jasmine had quietly slipped out of her palace balcony and scaled the palace walls. Though the walls enclosing the palace garden were the tallest and most difficult to climb, it was also the least patrolled. None of the guards saw her leave.

It was night and Jasmine was ecstatic. Finally, the city she had only glimpsed from her palace balcony was in front of her eyes. Bright lights were everywhere. The city was alive at sundown, even more vibrant than it was during the heat of the day.

But, being night, Jasmine wondered, where was she to stay? Wandering down the alleyway, she was met by a mysterious young man. Dressed in what seemed like shining, gold-embroidered robes, he beckoned. "Ah, princess, what would you like to know? What brought you here to the answerer of doubts, the seer of fortune?"

Princess? Impossible that he would know she was Agrabah's princess. Besides, the princess would probably be sitting safe in her palace, not out on the streets seeing a fortune teller.

Coming closer, she saw that the gold lining on his vest was merely gilt and glitter, the ruby on his ring a cheap imitation made of cut glass. Jasmine could not help feeling disappointed. "I would like to know, if it is possible to change my fate."

The man laughed merrily. "'The creator will not change your fate if you do not do anything to change it.' Come look into my shop, see if you can find what interests you. Perhaps it will help you find what you are looking for."

The shop held many curiosities, a golden apple, a dusty old carpet, a telescope and a magnificently carved statue of horse. The statue was the same size as a real horse and carved so lifelike, Jasmine wondered if it would move at anytime. Her hand touched the horses mane, marveling at the detail and imagining she was touching a real horse.

"Is that your final decision, princess?"

There it was again, the use of the word princess. Irritated, Jasmine said, "No, I choose this." She looked at what she had grasped, a dagger with red ruby at its hilt. "Yes, this is what I choose."

Chuckling, the man started to move away from her, slowly becoming less corporeal, almost like mist. "Wait, is this not stealing? I have not paid for this dagger yet!" Jasmine panicked.

The man's voice sounded, reverberating to her bones. "You are not stealing, the payment will be the story you will weave, as only you can."

Gasping, Jasmine found herself on the dark alley once more, the fortune teller's stall was gone without trace. Knocking on the nearest door, she pleaded, "Please let me in, I need a place to stay."

There was silence at first, before the door opened to let her in. The woman in the doorway hesitated before realizing that Jasmine was merely a helpless and frightened woman. "You may stay here for a while, have you eaten?"

"Yes, I have. Thank you very much," the princess said bashfully, ashamed to burden this kind woman.

The woman smiled and said, "I am Latifah. This house belongs to me and my family, I live here with my two children. Do not fear of being a burden to me. The creator does not burden one more than he can bear, that is why, god willing, and there will be enough for all of us. Do not worry for us, my guest." She said this with steely determination.

As she slept and accepted the kindness of a stranger, Jasmine could not help thinking about that dagger.


End file.
